Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, echoed the call made by Pope Francis to a life of humility and simplicity.
The Philippine cardinal stated that the Holy Father’s example sets a humble tone for bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful alike.
“The Pope often talks of being simple, humble and back to being ordinary,” Cardinal Tagle said. “If you think about it, whether priest, Catholic or not, we are all ordinary people. All of us feel hunger, get tempted.”
The cardinal also bemoaned lamented how some people, after gaining prominence, refuse to embrace simplicity and become detached from the lives of ordinary people.“Often times, if one gains influence or gains a little stature, they forget their connection with the ordinary,” the cardinal said.
The Archbishop of Manila added that the pontiff’s humility is something that the people should emulate in action and not just in words. “For him, the call to be simple is not for the show. If he makes a call for the Church, it’s coming from a very deep calling in his heart,” the cardinal said.